Meet Harrison Gunn – an inspirational youth mental health advocate and hugely talented young UK social media star
This week’s guest blogger is youth ambassador and all-round huge talent, Harrison Gunn. Harrison while only 14 is already a p๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ c๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ c๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ. Much to his credit, h๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ.
๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ; ๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐๐ขรข๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐๐ง, ๐๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ข ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐, ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฌ, ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐, ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐.
๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฌ. ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ & ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ.
๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ, ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐.๐., ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐๐จ๐ซ.
Take it away Harrison… !
How did you get started?
In 2017, when I thought I was going to be the next big pop star or the next Simon Cowell, I came across an advert online for the โBAFTA Young Presenter Competitionโ which I gave a go and who would have guessed it… BAFTA contacted me asking for a Skype interview which I proceeded to go ahead with and got the fabulous news of being in the final 5 as a runner-up of the 2017 BAFTA Young Presenter Competition!
Entering the competition was a massive leap out of my comfort zone, something that needed to happen for me to allow myself to do the career I now do and love.
Thereโs the 11-year-old me in a suit and tie interviewing my brother about all things sport, I was pretty proud! Later in 2018, BAFTA contacted me asking me to cover a report at a Nickelodeon Preview with Dick n Dom. I continued to report at previews for BAFTA and loved every minute of it.
As time went on, each year new presenters joined our BAFTA Young Presenter Team and as we got slightly faded out each year because of the new talent; I took it into my own hands to go for auditions for news shows and go to courses. Annoyingly, none of the auditions were that successful but the more experience I got, the more independent I got!
As I progressed to mature and get experience, I moved into Secondary School which was very hard for me but as it knocked my confidence it built it and I became more confident and strong within myself.
So, here we are in 2020, a year that has been full of negativity in the press and so; I started a Spotify and iTunes podcast last year for young people, by young people; reporting on top-notch events and interviewing the best of the best in the entertainment industry and talking to them about their experiences with mental health within the industry.
I am a 14-year-old a utistic boy and with that comes barriers and things that I need to overcome so if I can do it anyone can!
As I got better guests and more experience with talking to myself over a microphone , haha, and building up my skills I reached out to events for me to report at! My most recent reporting gig (I guess you could call it?!) was at the TEDxRoyalCentralSchool where I was interviewing the event through my eyes and bringing it through the lens so that young people can experience what they canโt! Anything is possible if you set your mind to it!
What are some of your greatest achievements so far?
Do you know what, all of those fancy events and meeting all of the incredible people in the industry, yes, donโt get me wrong, are incredible but my highlight was finding my feet with my mental health, struggles and my confidence.
Starting out in this industry is hard enough as it is, let alone with entering my teenage years, having a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome and ADHD which I am medicated for.
Autism is something that is very common and is represented in some of the most successful people in the world. I have learnt to embrace it; and starting secondary school with 900 more people than at my last school, I have always struggled with confidence since a young age.
I remember running off of the stage in tears in our โThe Beatlesโ tribute act when I was 4 because I had no experience or understanding of an audience . And so I think that my greatest achievement; the thing Iโm most proud of myself for is: finding my feet with my confidence.
I am so proud of the fact I am a two-time guest on BBC Radio, I have a PA aged 14, I have reported at some incredible events and have got to chat to some of my absolute idols and dream guests. With passion, confidence and strive; anything is possible! I want young people to know that you have to go and get what you want; cross those barriers and live your life how you want to live it. But, also donโt worry if you donโt know what you want to do; thatโs also okay!
What advice would you give for young people who might be considering starting out in the Entertainment, Media & Arts Industry?
A quote that I always use to my friends is that you canโt do anything to your full potential unless you love yourself to your full potential.
There is no easy route in to this industry but with perseverance and courage you can do anything you set your mind to. I think the only advice I can give is to take every single opportunity that comes your way; what excuse do you have not to? Another thing that is important to remember is that if you have barriers in your way you have just got to keep looking until you find the right key to unlock the padlock, by that I mean keep going till you find what works for you, its taken me years.
I am a 14-year-old (Jan 2020) Autistic boy and with that comes barriers and things that I need to overcome so if I can do it anyone can do it whatever your excuse is, hard work makes your dreams become a reality.
Follow Harrison on social media and be sure to listen to his excellent podcast – It’s Good to Talkย
๐ธ๐ถ: @๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ / @๐๐๐๐๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐ / @๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ / @๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐: @๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐: @๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐ต๐ฑ: ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ (๐ฟ๐๐๐)
